In the world of Biglaw, the most sought-after firms reside within the top tier of the Am Law 100. What does bonus compensation look like at these prominent firms? (We already maintain our comprehensive scorecard of all the bonus information we receive from our sources here.)
Today, we are compiling a table of the Am Law Top 50 firms (in alphabetical order) that have already matched the 2022 year-end bonus scale, the minimum hours required to receive those bonuses (if disclosed to ATL), and the date those bonuses were or will be paid. We will update this table on a regular basis as bonuses are announced. You’ll note there are some blanks — these firms either haven’t moved yet or we don’t have enough information to confirm all the details. If you see any information here that is missing, incorrect, or needs clarification, please tell us. We rely on our readers to get these things right. Help us provide the best information in our ongoing bonus coverage.
| Firm | Date Matched | Minimum Hours | Payout Date |
| Akin Gump Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 6, 2022 | 1950 hours (including with pro bono hours, general counsel hours, business development hours, and up to 100 hours of time spent on recruiting, diversity & inclusion, and/or innovation activities); associates with “exceptional” performance will receive larger bonuses | February 2023 |
| Alston & Bird | |||
| Arnold & Porter Class of 2022: $15K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 19, 2022 | Based on hours (10% additional bonus for 2400-2499 hours; 15% additional bonus for 2500-2599 hours; 20% additional bonus for 2600+ hours) | January 31, 2023 |
| Baker McKenzie Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
FIRST MOVER November 21, 2022 |
Undisclosed | February 10, 2023 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 1, 2022 | None | December 23, 2022 |
| Cooley | |||
| Covington Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 14, 2022 | Based on hours (bonus scale increased by 10% for 2200+ hours, increased by another 10% for 2400+ hours) | January 2023 |
| Davis Polk Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 30, 2022 |
| Debevoise Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | Undisclosed |
| Dechert Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 6, 2022 | 1950 hours (client billable, pro bono, firm as client, maximum of 50 community hours); associates who exceeded hours expectations eligible to receive an “extraordinary” bonus | January 23, 2023 |
| DLA Piper Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 16, 2022 | Based on seniority, performance rating (3, 4 or 5), and total bonus hours (including billable, billable equivalent, pro bono, shadowing, and knowledge management hours); incremental increases for higher bonus hours | 50% bonus on December 30, 2022, 50% bonus on January 27, 2023 |
| Foley & Lardner | |||
| Gibson Dunn | |||
| Goodwin Procter | |||
| Greenberg Traurig | |||
| Hogan Lovells Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | 2000 hours (including up to 150 pro bono hours until associates meet 1850 hours, then unlimited pro bono hours, and including up to 50 D&I hours, if they have billed at least 1800 hours; additional bonuses available for those who exceed hours minimums) | December 30, 2022 |
| Holland & Knight | |||
| Jones Day | |||
| K&L Gates | |||
| King & Spalding | |||
| Kirkland & Ellis Individualized, above-market bonuses (but less so than usual) |
December 20, 2022 | None | Undisclosed |
| Latham 1st Year: $20K (base); $20.25K (median) 7th+ Year: $115K (base) $127K (median) Individualized, above-market bonuses |
January 20, 2023 | 1900 hours (additional bonus money for those who bill higher hours) | January 31, 2023 |
| Mayer Brown Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 7, 2022 | NY: 1900 client equivalent hours; Outside NY: 2000 hours for base bonus, stub years not included (1900 CE hours required), 2100 hours for $23K-$132K, 2200 hours for $24K-$138K, 2300 hours for $$26K-$149.5K | February 17, 2023 |
| McDermott Will & Emery Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
November 30, 2022 | 2000 hours (“substantial incremental bonuses” for associates who went “above and beyond” in hours and performance; ~65% of associates will earn above Cravath scale) | December 29, 2022 |
| Milbank Class of 2022: $15K Class of 2014: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 31, 2022 |
| Morgan Lewis Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2016: $105K |
December 2, 2022 | 1900+ hours (20 of which must be pro bono hours) | January 31, 2023 |
| Morrison & Foerster | |||
| Norton Rose | |||
| Orrick Assoc Year 1 (Fall ’22): $2.5K Assoc Year 1: $20K Senior Assoc Year 1+/Of Counsel: $115K |
December 16, 2022 | 1950 hours (including up to 100 hours of a combination of training, DEI, business development, innovation, and other forms of firm and self-investment; pro bono hours; up to 40 hours of time devoted to unplugging) | Undisclosed |
| Paul Hastings Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | 2000 hours | February 3, 2023 |
| Paul Weiss Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 22, 2022 |
| Perkins Coie Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2014+: $115K |
December 13, 2022 | 1950 hours; bonuses are majority lockstep, with some individualized (using this scale as a base); bonuses are different in non-major markets; some offices have high/low ranges for sixth-years and above | December 31, 2022 |
| Proskauer Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2014: $115K |
December 8, 2022 | None | December 23, 2022 |
| Quinn Emanuel | |||
| Reed Smith | |||
| Ropes & Gray Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015: $115K Class of 2014+: $130K |
December 2, 2022 | 1900 creditable hours (increased bonuses for associates who annualized above hourly target) | December 23, 2022 |
| Shearman & Sterling Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 16, 2022 | None (BUT as of year-end, the firm has reportedly been enforcing a 2023 hours requirement to deny 2022 bonuses to associates, by (1) using a 10-month look back period (1/1-10/31); (2) applying a prorated utilization of 2050 hours; and (3) counting only billable and pro bono hours as follows: 110%+ utilization = market bonus; 100-109% utilization = 90% of market bonus; 90-99% utilization = 75% of market bonus; 0-89% utilization = 0% of market bonus) | December 30, 2022 |
| Sidley Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2014+: $115K |
December 8, 2022 | 2000 hours required for base bonuses; associates with “higher productivity and/or exceptional performance” will receive additional bonuses | Prior to December 31, 2022 |
| Simpson Thacher Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015: $115K |
December 5, 2022 | None | December 28, 2022 |
| Skadden Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2016: $105K or $115K Class of 2015+: $115K or $125K |
November 30, 2022 | 1800 “productive hours” (including unlimited pro bono time and up to 150 hours of productive non-billable work) | December 16, 2022 |
| Squire Patton | |||
| Sullivan & Cromwell | |||
| Troutman Pepper | |||
| Wachtell | |||
| Weil Gotshal Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+ and 3-year Counsel: $115K |
December 7, 2022 | None | January 31, 2023 |
| White & Case Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2014: $115K |
December 9, 2022 | Eligibility criteria detailed in separate memo | February 13, 2023 |
| Willkie Farr Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 2, 2022 | None | December 30, 2022 |
| WilmerHale | Wilson Sonsini Class of 2021: $20K Class of 2014+: $115K |
January 12, 2023 | 1950 hours (first 40 hours of vacation time included as billable time) | January 31, 2023 |
| Winston & Strawn Class of 2022: $15K (pro-rated) Class of 2015+: $115K |
December 12, 2022 | 2000 hours for market bonus (additional $2K-$25K for every hundred hours over 2000 for Class of 2018-2021; additional $4K-$30K for every hundred hours over 2000 for Class of 2017+) | January 31, 2023 |
Remember everyone, we depend on your tips to stay on top of important bonus updates, so when your firm announces or matches, please text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Matches”). Please include the memo if available. You can take a photo of the memo and send it via text or email if you don’t want to forward the original PDF or Word file.
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
